The mother of a nine-month-old baby injured in the Westfield attack is one of the six people killed, Australian media reports.
Six people - five women and one man - are now confirmed to have died in Saturday's horror killing spree at the mall in Bondi Junction. The knifeman was shot dead by a police officer, with New South Wales Police saying they now believe he was a 40-year-old man with no clear motive of ideology.
Several people were also injured in the rampage, including a nine-month-old baby who was taken to hospital. The infant has since undergone emergency surgery, Commissioner Karen Webb told press. Of the six fatalities, five were tragically pronounced dead at the scene while a sixth woman later died in hospital.
Several media outlets have since reported that the baby's mother is among the dead. The unnamed mother was the sixth woman who succumbed to her injuries in hospital, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The Guardian Australia meanwhile says they've spoken with police sources who confirm that the mother was the sixth victim.
Police and paramedics work outside the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping mall after a stabbing incident in Sydney. (AFP via Getty Images)Questioned on news of the baby's mother being among the victims, Commissioner Webb at the conference on Saturday evening said she had also heard this news, but that she was unable to personally confirm it. She said eight people in total were being treated in hospital, including the infant.
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"Later this evening, we became aware of who we believe the offender is and we believe that he is a 40-year-old man," the police chief told press. "However, we are waiting to formally identify him and we cannot speculate yet on his identification. But let me assure you that we are confident that there is no ongoing risk and we are dealing with one person who is now deceased."
Answering questions about the knifeman, she added: "If in fact it is the person that we believe it is, then we don't have fears for that person holding an ideation. In other words, that it's not a terrorism incident." She confirmed the suspect was also "known to law enforcement".
Horrified witnesses told how they desperately tried to save the mum and her baby after being attacked. Two brothers told 9News they scrambled to stem the bleeding using clothes from a nearby shop.
The brotherswere visibly shaken as they spoke to a reporter at the scene, as one gestured to the other saying, "he's a hero - he saved the baby”. The man then described how he had desperately used clothes from a shop to try and stop the baby’s bleeding. “The baby got stabbed and, yeah, the mum got stabbed,” he said.
“The mum came over with the baby and threw it at me. I just helped by holding the baby ... and trying to compress the baby.” The two brothers stayed with the mother and infant and called the emergency services. “(It was) very bad... a lot of the blood on the floor ... hope the baby's alright,” the other brother said.
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